Last week, as you may have heard, we hosted our first webinar-How to give a rock solid report of findings.
It was great, and I can’t wait to host the next one!
The webinar lasted a full hour, so I did not have ample time to answer many of the questions that were asked. I will include the questions and answers below.
Feel free to add comments as you see fit. I’ll update this as more questions come in.
On another note, since this webinar was such a success, I was wondering what kinds of things you would like to learn about in future webinars that can help your practice to grow? Anything from health fairs, to screenings, to whatever you can think of.
Let me know, and I’ll do my coaching-best to deliver good information.
Below are questions from the webinar, followed by answers:
1) Q: How do you deal with an acute situation where the person needs to be treated that first day?
A: I think you are referring to the first visit. If a patient comes in for an acute problem, I will treat them on the first visit. If they are in obvious pain, I want them to find some sort of relief. I will let them know that I normally do not treat on the first visit because it is mostly reserved for gathering as much information as possible to uncover the underlying cause(s) of their problem(s), but since they are in an acute state it is important that they get some relief. I’ll also let them know that acupuncture is not a magic bullet, although it may help alleviate some problems, it may take a series of treatments to get to the root of the problem to avoid these flair ups.
I think it’s important to help patients get out of pain, and it’s also important to let them know that if they do not see immediate changes, it doesn’t mean that acupuncture doesn’t work.
2) Q: Does the patient fill out the Report of Findings first?
A: Some practitioners have their patients fill out the symptoms/signs portion of the ROF form themselves. I don’t. This is what I tell my patients: “Hello patient x, today we are going to do a comprehensive exam {I’ll list out what I will do in the exam} and a simple acupuncture treatment. It’s important to know that today’s treatment will serve two purposes, 1) it will introduce you to the type of acupuncture that I do, and 2) it will allow me to see how your body does or does not react to acupuncture. It’s not a magic bullet, so I don’t expect any major changes, and neither should you. But if there are changes, great! If not, that’s okay too.”
“What I am going to do is put together a report of findings for you that will tell you what I found, what areas are out of balance and possibly contributing to your problem(s), and what acupuncture can and cannot do. If I find that acupuncture is something that can help you I’ll outline a course of care, if not, I will help you find someone who can help you.”
So, I ask them to come back later that week or next week to receive their comprehensive report of findings. They usually last just 15 minutes, I don’t treat during them and have them schedule out ALL suggested care.
3) Q: Should the ROF be in addition to or in place of medical history intake?
A: The Report of Findings should always be in addition to your normal patient health history intake.
4) Q: What if you set up an initial care plan but need to add more herbs or visits than you first thought?
A: Easy. After I set up an initial treatment plan, if I feel it necessary to add more herbs or visits, I will do so. If they have a “flair up” I will have them come in as needed. The care plan is not set in stone and if you feel the need to change and add to the frequency of herbs, self-care, nutrition, etc…then by all means do so.
Just keep in mind that you will be conducting a re-evaluation at a prescribed time and this can allow you another opportunity to adjust your care plan.
5) Q: Are your second visits with ROF as long as your first visit? How long does an ROF take? Do you charge follow up prices for this second visit, or a different price from first visit and follow up visit?
A: My second visit is when I give the ROF to the patient. They are no more than 15-20 minutes and I don’t treat at that visit, or charge. The ROF is included in the first visit price.
6) Q: Do we get a copy of these scripts?
A: There are two scripts that are included in the QuickTime movie that is going to be mailed out to you. They were and are the last two slides from the webinar.
7) Q: What ashi points do you use to get these findings?
A: I use the main front Mu points on the torso, LU 1, CV 3, 4, 5, 12, 14 & 17, LV 13 & 14, ST 25, GB 24, GB 25
If there were any questions I missed, feel free to ask them!
Thanks for joining our webinar!